Dan Scott's Library
by whenjenn
Summary: Peyton fell into a deep depression after her mother's death with no Brooke to help her. OneShot. Rated T for safety. AU. Originally written for creative writing assignment thought it would fit. Please review!


_**A/N This is my first OTH fic, so please be kind, and I know that Peyton's eyes were not green, but I first wrote this for my creative writing assignment I had, and the girl had green eyes. I'm not going to beg you all to review, but they would be nice. **_

Dan Scott's Library 

_He had warned her about The Book, now it was too late. _Peyton had not heeded his warning and had checked The Book out from the library. She had needed an escape from her deep depression that she entered after her mother had tragically died. Her once bright and lively green eyes had turned clouded and murky in a swirl of gray. Her pretty smile was never seen of again, and she seemed uncaring about everything - the ambition found before in her personality to excel in life died along with her soul. She had become a completely different person, and her life was no longer the same. The Book's title, Lost in Everworld, had drawn her attention and had sparked the curiosity that had disappeared.

She had hurried home to read The Book, and once she had started, The Book had lured her into its pages. She had become immersed in The Book - the fine details, the connections, everything about it. She had not noticed that The Book's author was Come Into Darkness, or the fact that it had no publishing date, no real proof of its existence. As she had gotten past the first couple pages, her eyelids had begun to become heavy, and she fell into a deep sleep.

Her mind started to wander meaninglessly in an abyss of space until it reached an opening to what seemed like a whole other world - a world of peace and happiness which was completely opposite of the world she lived in. Her life was hectic and she felt neglected, uncared for, amidst all the chaos. This other world seemed so fake. It didn't feel like this joyous place could exist. All the glistening plant life, the content sounds of animals, and the whole atmosphere was simply a masterpiece of perfection.

As she continued to roam about, she saw the beauty that she had not seen for so long. She saw the bright colors, not the black, gray, and white she had been accustomed to seeing. She felt free again - free of worry, pain, sadness; she could live once more in harmony. Once she realized the magnificent scenery around her, memories of times before her mother passed flooded her mind. One specific recollection filled her consciousness as she recalled one of the last moments she had with her mom. _Listen sweetie, I love you, and don't ever let anything get in the way of your happiness or otherwise everything else is lost. _Peyton allowed a small sad smile to appear on her face, but soon all her composure was lost and she sat down and cried. The wall she built had crumbled; it was no match for all the emotion she had bottled up for so long. The emotions, like a grenade, blew the wall into a million pieces. Her mom had once said learning to love herself was the first step. She thought she had learned, but she came to the dreadful realization that it was merely an illusion.

Once the tears would no longer come, she lifted her head from between her knees and observed the place around her once more. It had seemed so cheerful before, but now, after her breakdown, it seemed no different than her life at home. Everything was against her, and she had failed at life's lessons once more. She curled up in a ball, giving up hope and whatever was left that she held onto previously. She no longer cared. Even her simple will to live subsided. As she decided to make that despairing choice, a simple ivy entangled itself within her fingers and the ground opened up beneath her. The earth beneath Peyton slowly split open starting from the roots of the ivy and allowed her to fall into the chasm. Meanwhile, the sky gave in and started to cry. The once joyous place had become a gloomy area where a layer of depression laid over the sorrowful land. The bright colors had become black and white - exactly how Peyton had envisioned the world after her mother died.  
Peyton fell into Everworld and realized she was surrounded with nothing. She felt nothing; she was void of all emotion, and she wondered what she had gotten herself into.

_Welcome to Everworld, there are some other residents here that you may cross paths with; however, I warn you, the less you speak, the better. Take into account your surroundings, and careful not to trip over the lifeless bodies. Bye, and enjoy your stay here._

_  
_Peyton looked around her and lifted one foot. The sight that she saw tore at her already broken heart. It was an eight-year-old child who was taken from the life that he had so much left of, but here he was, dead in who knows where. Peyton finally apprehended how big of a mistake she made when she gave up. She had given up her life that so many people would have wanted to live, all because she could not move away from her self-pity. With that, Peyton collapsed in a heap, not caring what happened to her next.

The next morning, Peyton's dad woke up and went to his daughter's room to wake her up. What he saw before his eyes ripped his heart apart at its mended seams. There laid his daughter, lifeless on her bed, with a book opened next to her. He picked up the book and started to cry silently as he read.

"This is where the book ended," said Peyton's dad, his voice cracking, finishing his eulogy, "the ivy somehow managed to transcribe what happened to her. I wish I could have known how to help her out of her depression. I thought it was just a phase. I guess that was far from the truth. I don't really think she ever heard me say 'I love you' to her. She built up so many walls to protect herself." With that, Peyton's dad could no longer continue so he stepped off the podium and Peyton's casket was lowered into the ground. Peyton's dads begrudgingly walked away with many unshed tears, unknowingly leaving the evil book behind.

Dan Scott, seeing the book left behind once more at a funeral, picked it up and returned it to his library. He did not know why he always did it, especially knowing that it would undoubtedly take away another life, but he always felt the need to do so.  
_Good job, you surely have picked a good man to do the task for spreading The Book; however, his job is done, she was the last one I needed to complete and expand Everworld enough to start my reign of melancholy. Kill him for me, and we will rule Everworld together in darkness.  
_


End file.
